green group · The short answer
PLACES WITH LANES
Each puzzle word passes the same exact test. The four mappings show how the answer works.
A bowling alley contains long prepared lanes along which players roll balls toward pins.
A freeway is divided into marked lanes that organize vehicles traveling in the same or opposing directions.
A supermarket has checkout lanes where customers queue and have their purchases scanned or recorded.
A pool used for lap or competitive swimming is divided into lanes, usually marked by floating lane lines.
Why this group was difficult
- Lane changes meaning across all four settings
It describes a playing surface, a traffic division, a checkout area and a swimmer's assigned path rather than one identical structure. - Several other board entries are sports locations
HOCKEY RINK and TENNIS COURT can sit beside BOWLING ALLEY and SWIMMING POOL in a tempting recreation-based set. - The category is broader than sports
FREEWAY and SUPERMARKET require players to extend the word lane beyond athletic or recreational settings.
How to spot this pattern next time
Search for a noun that naturally follows or describes a feature inside each place; here, lane remains ordinary in all four contexts.
After pairing BOWLING ALLEY with SWIMMING POOL, test the same feature outside sports instead of collecting every athletic location on the board.
Four useful facts behind the group
- Bowling lanes provide the prepared surface between the foul line and pins.
- Freeway lane markings separate parallel streams of vehicle traffic.
- Supermarket checkout lanes organize payment stations and customer queues.
- Competition pools use lane lines to separate swimmers during a race.
Questions players ask
The details people search after seeing the group
What connects BOWLING ALLEY, FREEWAY, SUPERMARKET and SWIMMING POOL?
They are the four PLACES WITH LANES: bowling lanes, freeway traffic lanes, supermarket checkout lanes and swimming lanes.
Why is SUPERMARKET a place with lanes?
The relevant feature is its checkout lanes, where shoppers queue to pay for the items they have selected.
What kind of lanes does a SWIMMING POOL have?
Lap and competition pools have swimming lanes separated or indicated by floating lane lines and markings.
Why was the sports-place grouping incomplete?
It gathered visible recreational locations but did not explain FREEWAY or SUPERMARKET and interfered with two more exact relationships.